Fatal Mistake
by Crimson Death 13
Summary: After what was believed to be an easy job, the Turks find out it was a lot more complex than what they had thought. (This is a very crappy summery, but if you want o know more you'll just have to read.) Rated M for bad language.
1. Chapter 1

Reno licks his lips as he watches the gorges brunet waitress walk away after delivering him another drink and a flirty wink to go with it. He was much more drunk than what he would have been any other night, but he finished his drinks fast for more chances to flirt with her. He smirks down at the napkin in front of him with her number written in sharpy and the message "be off at ten". He pockets it and walks out into the parking lot where he lights a cigarette.

The mid December air was cold and the ground was blanketed with light snow. The sky was free of clouds and carried a wicked breeze with it. He leans up against his car, letting the smoke roll off his lips as he disappears into his thoughts. His phone pulls him back to his reality. It was Tseng. He sighs and with no choice, answers it.

"Yo," he says taking another drag of his cigarette.

"Reno, we need you down at headquarters right away." Tseng says.

"I'm a little busy right now,"

"This is important. We have gained new information on a group threatening to attack Shinra. We need you and Rude to go take care of it. Be here in twenty minutes." Tseng says hanging up before Reno could object.

He slides into the driver's seat and leans his head against the steering wheel. Taking a minute to try to sober up before he arrived. He pulls out of the parking lot looking though the window at the hot waitress one more time before heading off to his job.

* * *

Rude looks at the door to the meeting room as Reno staggers in. His eyes face the floor but he gives a small wave. Tseng rubs his temples at his arrival, already stressed. Reno sits next to his partner watching as Tseng digs through the enormous stack of paper work to find the file he was looking for. He hands it to Rude, only to have Reno snatch it out of his hand to look at it first.

"Drug dealers?" he asks examining the photos of the old apartment building and the three men targets.

"We aren't sure yet." Tseng points to the man in the middle of the photo. "He is in charge of the operation. We want you to bring him back alive for questioning. Any others that get in your way kill. They are taking base in Sector Four." he says.

Reno and Rude exchange a glance. "Alright. No problem." he says making his way towards the door.

They walk out to Rude's car and Reno hops in driver's seat. Rude stares at him. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm gonna drive, yo. Hop in!" Reno says gesturing to the passenger seat. Rude doesn't move. "Fine!" he says sliding into the passenger seat.

"Buckle up Reno," Rude says.

Reno glares at him. "Will you shut up!" he says.

Rude only rolls his eyes and begins the drive towards Sector Four. Reno leans against the window half asleep. The icy roads gave Rude an excuse to slam on the breaks, jerking Reno back to full attention. He perks up and glares at him fiercely. Rude struggled to hold back a laugh. The redhead slouches back down in his seat and nearly falls asleep again.

After a short drive they arrive at the apartment building in Sector Four with the hostile inhabitants. They step out of the car and grab their weapons from the trunk. "Why do they always have to send us off on this sort of stuff on Friday nights? I should be in bed with a brunet right now," Reno mumbles checking to make sure his EMR was still attached to his belt. Rude doesn't comment on this. Instead he walks up to the entrance with his gun in his hand ready for what ever might be waiting behind that door.

* * *

She kicks around the piles of paper and shattered furniture that littered the floor. The man she was after huddles into the corner in a puddle of blood staring at the gun clenched in her hand. She takes slow steps towards him, smirking as his eyes widen in fear. She loved it when they feared her like this. Watching how the bad guy turns from being o-so-powerful, to cowering for their lives. She holds the gun up in front of her and pointing it at him. She was going to get her revenge.

The cold steel against her head surprised her but she remains still. Taking a deep breath waiting for someone to speak. "Drop the gun,"

"Sorry. Can't do," she says laughing a little keeping the man she was after in her sights. "Looks like I beat you to the job,"

"Hey Rude! That's the one we're after." another voice behind her says.

The redhead man walks up in front of her and cuffs the man. "Where do you think you're going with that?" she asks.

"Sorry, we need him. Thanks for clearing out the building." he laughs.

"Who are you?" the man with the gun says.

"Wouldn't you like to know." she says dropping the gun to the floor. The redhead slides it away with his foot.

The gun clicks, a bullet ready to fire. "We aren't playing around,"

"Neither am I," she says reaching behind her and grabbing the mans wrist. She twists the gun out of his hand after a round fires into the wall. She kicks him in the stomach and punches him across the face knocking a pair of dark sunglasses to the ground and shattering them.

The bald man falls over to the ground. The redhead attempts to put her in a headlock. She slips away from his arms and hits him in the stomach. He staggers slightly, and she tries a second strike. Before she could react he had a weapon drawn that danced with blue sparks. The weapon connects with her shoulder sending hundreds of volts of electricity through her. She falls backwards to the ground gripping the spot he hit. Her flesh still singeing and burning. The redhead smiles at her and turns the weapon off. He approaches her and lifts her up by her shirt getting a good look at her face.

"What was that Tseng said about people who got in our way?" he asks his partner who had lifted himself off the ground.

"You know what he said Reno." he says.

His eyes narrow at her as if to examine her closer. She couldn't help but notice how breathtaking his eyes were. "Do you think this applies?" he asks.

"I think we should take her with us." Rude says. "For questioning."

"The hell you will!" she says regaining enough strength to push the man away and stand. She runs for the door but before she could reach it another shock of electricity surges through her body. She twitches slightly on the ground before flipping on her back catching her breath. She could feel her skin cooking and sizzling.

The redhead walks up to her and points the weapon right in her face. The blue sparks filling the dark room with an eery grow. She watches as it moves closer now inches away from her skin. "That was only on level four. You don't want to know what level ten feels like." the man taunts. "If I were you, I wouldn't try that again."

She nods her head as the man slips a pair of silver cuffs on her wrists and lifts her off the ground. She falls over in an attempt to walk so he picks her up and carries out the building. Her vision blurs, a result of the electricity. He places her in the back seat and slams the door while the other victim gets thrown in the trunk. She stares out the window, to weakened to move or struggle as they take her away. The uncertainty of these men sends shivers up her back. She fears where they might be taking her.

* * *

Reno looks back at the girl sitting behind him. She seemed to be paying no attention to him. "Rough day?" he asks. She doesn't respond. "So what were you doing messing with those guys anyway?"

She removes her eyes from the window to meet him. They were bright blue with Mako energy. "What... does it... matter to you?" she struggles to speak.

"It would be a lot easier if you cooperated with us now. I don't think you would like the treatment of people who decide to be stubborn." he says. "Now do you want to cooperate?"

"They... killed... my brother," she says. Reno nods, "I... wanted revenge. You... took it away... from me."

"I see," he says turning back around, "Sorry to interrupt, babe."

"Don't... call me that!" she says, her voice still weak, but dripping with poison.

Reno laughs a little. They pull into the Shinra parking lot and he steps out of the car. He opens the back door and pulls her out by her handcuffs. She walks in front of him, his hand on her shoulder guiding her. She feels her strength slowly returning and stops walking. Reno gives her a soft push only to have her swing around and kick him across the face. Slightly stunned he blocks another attack. He takes out his EMR, and after another attempt to attack he shocks her again. This one at last knocks her out and she falls to the ground.

Reno rubs his sore cheek and picks her up. "Shit that hurt," he mumbles.

Rude shoves the man forward causing him to fall to the ground. "You son of a bitching Shinra dogs!" he shouts.

Rude lifts him back up by his hair and pushes him to move forward. "You should be wishing that she finished you off before we got to you." he says.

"No kidding," Reno says trailing behind them, the girl unconscious in his arms.


	2. Chapter 2

Her eyes slowly open and stare at the brightly lit ceiling. As her head stops spinning she begins to hear voices. Some fuzzy and others more clear. She holds a piece of soft fabric between her fingers trying to figure out where she is before moving. An IV in her wrist holds back her arms when she tries to move it. At last she sits up and looks around.

The voices she heard came from a TV hung on the wall in front of the hospital bed. The wounds caused from the strange weapon were bandaged and the pain was barely noticeable. She looks beside the bed to find a very familiar head of red hair. The man who brought her here sat in a chair next to the bed watching the TV.

He looks at her and smiles, "Glad to see your still alive," he says. "You were looking pretty rough back there,"

"Why the fuck am I here!" she shouts, her voice catching slightly due to dryness in her throat.

"We brought you back here. Didn't think it would be too nice to leave you out in the parking lot. Especially in the winter." he says smirking at her. "And we believe it would be more comfortable than the interrogation hall strapped to a chair, now wouldn't it?"

"Why do you need me here?!" she says.

"We don't," he says. "At least not anymore. Tseng looked you up and found that you are harmless. Just found in the wrong place at the wrong time. Lucky for you. Otherwise you would have been listed as a threat and put down,"

"For your information I can be a lot more harmful than you think!"

"I know," he says leaning closer. "The instructions were to kill anyone that got in our way. You should consider yourself lucky that I wasn't in the mood to kill anyone at the time."

"Then maybe I should thank you," she says sarcastically.

"Tell you what," the redhead says leaning back in his seat and folding his hands behind his head, "Let me take you out for drinks and we'll call it even."

After considering the offer she smiles. "Why not?" she says. She steps out of bed, glad to still be wearing her old cloths. She stumbles slightly and he snaps out of his seat and holds her elbow, helping her balance. Once she was able to stand on her own he let go. "What's you name?" she asks.

"Reno," he replies. "And you are?"

"Cassandra," she says.

"May I call you Cassie?" he asks.

"No," she says bluntly.

"Alright Cassandra, why don't you stick around here for a little while longer and I'll pick you up at eight," Reno says backing up towards the door way. "Sound good?"

"Sure," she says. Reno disappears behind the door leaving her alone in the room. She clicks off the TV and lays back down. Watching the clock on the door, waiting for it to read eight.

* * *

Three hours later, Reno knocks on the door ready to pick her up. She strolls out casually from the Shinra infirmary and hops into Reno's car. "What are you anyway?" she asks as he starts the car.

"I'm a Turk," he says. "Second, under Tseng actually."

"Impressive." she states.

He gives her a devilish grin. "You don't even know, babe."

"I told you not to call me that,"

"Alright, Cassandra." he says pulling out of the parking lot. "So where are you from?"

"Juron," she says. "Me and my brother grew up in an orphanage there. He always took care of me. Then we went our separate ways and he got himself killed."

Reno nods in understanding. "I see why you would want your revenge. Don't worry, we just want to get a bit of information out of the guy and then he's gone. You won't have to worry about _that _anymore."

"Good." they sit in silence for a moment. Reno taps his fingers against the steering wheel absently. "What about you?" she asks breaking the silence.

"I grew up here in Midgar. Got recruited for the Turks at the fresh age of sixteen. Believe me, it took plenty of work." he says with a small laugh. "That's about all I can tell ya. The rest is a secret."

"Classified information, huh,"

"That or I just don't want to tell you. You _did_ try to kill me remember."

"And that taser thing wasn't at all trying to kill me?" she asks.

"Not trying to kill you, just stun you a bit. If I am not mistaken you brought that upon yourself." he says.

She rubs her sore shoulder, "Fucking hurt though."

Reno shrugs, "If it didn't hurt a little bit, it would be worthless." He looks at her still rubbing her shoulder. "Would it help ease the pain if I said I was sorry."

"Maybe," she says.

"Then it's gonna be hurting for a while."

She glares at him. He was obviously amused by this. That stupid smirk on his face made her furious. At the same time, she hated to admit to herself that he was charming. Two red symmetrical scars frame his beautiful pale green eyes. His flaming red hair sticking up in a messy fashion with a long pony-tail in the back. His figure was slim and the way he dressed was not very professional, but he looked comfortable. He catches her looking him over.

"Like what you see?" he asks. She stutters, slightly appalled, then blushes. "You don't have to be shy." he teases.

"I wasn't interested." she states in the most serious tone she could manage. "You're not my type."

He laughs, "I'm every ones type," He pulls up to the bar. "This is it."

She gets out of the car and is greeted by a sudden gust of frozen wind. The snow crunches lightly under her feet as she approaches the door. The bar was welcoming, the thick scent of whisky burning her nose, but at least it was warm. Reno's thin hand guides her over to a booth in the corner. Gingerly she sits and Reno slides in next to her.

"Rude and Elena will be joining us shortly," he says to her stare.

"Who are they?"

"Rude's the bald guy you punched in the face, and Elena's another Turk that you haven't met." he says. Just as he finished the large bald man approaches and sits across from us, followed by a short blond-haired girl. "Rude, look who agreed to come along." Reno says gesturing to Cassandra.

He looks down at her through a new pair of sunglasses after she broke the others. She could slightly see through them, finding a pair of dark brown eyes behind them. "Tseng's sure about her?" he asks.

"I have no doubts." Reno says. "She's cool."

The waitress drops off their drinks and glances at Reno. Then her eyes Cassandra's. They looked furious. Reno catches this and drapes an arm around her shoulder and pulls her in close. He drops a wink in the waitresses direction. Her face narrows in a look of disgust and she turns around and stomps away. Reno laughs in amusement as he removes his arm.

"What was that about?" Cassandra asks scooting away from him to her previous distance.

"I flirted with the waitress before. Thought it would be fun to piss her off. Did you see the look on her face?" he says.

"Next time leave me out of it, please." she says brushing off her shoulder.

Reno leans in and whispers in her ear. "Don't pretend you didn't like it." he purrs sending shivers up her back.

Her cheeks turn a bright shade of red that she desperately wanted to hide. Reno looks her up and down with interest. His green eyes looking hungry and devilish. She felt shaky, and nervous just by his stare. Her phone ringing made her nearly jump out of her seat. She pulls it out and checks the caller ID. _Unknown._ She slides out of the booth.

"Sorry, I have to take this," she says walking towards the door and answering the phone.

* * *

Reno watches her walk out. When she disappears behind the door he finds Rude and Elena staring at him, "What? She's a cute chick!" he says.

Elena rolls her eyes. He takes a drink of beer and waits for his 'date' to return. When she walks back in her face was a ghostly white. Her lip was quivering but he assumed it was from the cold. She sits back down and avoids all eye contact. It was almost like she was scared to even be there any more.

"Are you alright?" Reno asks.

She forces herself to look at him. "Everything is... fine." she barely manages to say.

He senses her discomfort. "Are you sure?" he presses.

This time she smiles at him. "Of course."

They continue to talk and to Reno's surprise, she started to inch closer to him. He drapes an arm around her shoulder. Her hand snakes behind him and wraps around his waist. _Forget the waitress, this is so much better_, he thought as he felt her tease at his pants. After finishing another couple of drinks he thought it was almost time to go. She pulls away from him and leans into his ear.

"I'll be right back," she whispers playfully.

She disappears out the door again. Reno stands up, "I think it's about time I leave." he says reaching into his pocket to pay his tab. His hand comes out empty. No wallet, no phone, no keys. After puzzling for a moment his eyes widen in realization. "That fucking bitch!" he yells running out the door only to watch as his car screeches down the road.

He kicks the snow in frustration. Rude and Elena walk out to find him pacing on on the curb. "What did she take?" Elena asks.

"Everything." he mumbles. "Shinra ID! Phone with who knows how much information on it! Car keys! Money! She took Fucking EVERYTHING!" he shouts kicking another pile of snow.

"We have to go after her," Elena says.

"No shit!" Reno yells at her. Rude shakes his head and pulls his partner by the arm out to his car, Elena not to far behind. "What the fuck are we going to do?"

"We're going to contact Tseng and go after her." Rude says starting the car and taking off towards the Shinra building.


	3. Chapter 3

She steps out into the snow and holds the phone to her ear. "Hello,"

"C-Cassandra..." says a low voice at the other end sounding almost like a moan.

Her breath catches in shock. The voice was all too familiar. "Nick...?" she nearly whispers not believing that it was her brother's voice.

"Cassandra..." he moans again.

"Nick! Nick you're alive!" she shouts tears forming in her eyes. His voice cuts off and crunching noises was all she heard for a moment before deep breathing.

"It's good to hear from you, Cassandra." says another voice. She had heard it before. She would never be able to forget it. _She lay on the floor with blood gushing from the wound in her head. The man drops the knife by her side and walked away. Leaving her and her brother in pain and agony._ He shared the same voice as the one she was talking to now.

"W-Who are you?" she says.

"My name you will never know. And your brother, you may never see again, unless you follow these instructions." He says.

"You son of a bitch!" she yells into the phone, frozen tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Cassandra you must listen. I have decided to drop everything that has ever been between us if you do me a favor." he says. "Do I have your interest?"

She takes a moment to breath and keep her voice from shaking. "Yes. If it gets my brother back." she says.

"Good girl," the man says. "Now listen carefully. Your brother owes to me his life, and his debt will be repaid by you. I have tracked your movements for the past week. I know where you've been. Who you've meet. Everything. It came to my attention that you had run into some Shinra employes, correct?"

She looks back through the window to see the Turks carrying on with their conversation. "Yes. Three Turks." she says.

"Good. Your first favor, I need information from Shinra. Those Turks will provide it for you. I need ID badges, phones, anything you can get your hands on." he says. "Do you understand Cassandra?"

"Y-yes."

"If you fail to complete your mission, than it will be Nickolas' hands that come first. When you have what you need, come to the building you raided yesterday. I will be waiting to give you further instructions." he says then hanging up the phone.

She puts it back in her pocket. Her knees shake uncontrollably, threatening to send her falling into the snow. She looks back through the window and catches the eyes of Reno. She was going to get her brother back, no matter what the cost. She walks back in wiping her tears away and trying to smile despite her concern. Reno offers her a warm smile. He was her new target.

The night drug on, and the drinks came one after the other for the redhead Turk. She managed to switch to a flirty mood, teasing Reno and allowing him to believe she was interested. Once he was drunk enough to not know the difference of being played with or being robed she reached into his pockets and emptied them of their contents. This should be everything she needed besides a wallet, which was hidden in his back pocket. She slid her hand down his back into his back pocket. He shifts nervously and smirks at her. Grabbing her ass as if to return the favor. It took all her strength not to slap him.

Then after a few flirty words she slipped outside and ran to his car. By the time she had it started she could see him sprinting through the bar towards the door. She sped off with everything she needed to ensure her brother kept his hands and his life. Tears streamed down her face making it difficult to see. The icy roads threw the car in almost every direction.

When she pulled up to the building another car was parked outside. She was tempted to look inside it but forced herself to the door. The door swung open with a slight push for it was only barely hanging on by its hinges. The floor creaked with every light step taken. It was different than it was before. It seemed empty and hollow. A faint light shone down from the stairs. She walked towards it into the office she had trashed yesterday in her fight to get to the man she was after. When she walked in she expected to see the ground still littered with paper and broken furniture. But everything was fine. The couch no longer in shreds and the coffee table standing back up on its leg. The desk was organized and not a thing seemed out of place.

A shadowy figure emerges from the corner. Thick brown hair slicked backwards and suit pressed and clean. The man straightens his red tie and sits down behind the large desk. He folds his hands over the table and looks at her. His blue eyes piercing the darkness. "It is nice to see you face to face again Cassandra." he says in a calm tone.

"Where is Nick?" she demands.

"First, let's see what you have collected?" he asks.

She clenches her fists then digs into her pockets and throws the treasures onto the table carelessly. He picks through the pile then looks at the ID card. He nods in approval. "Where is he?!" she says.

"You must have patience Cassandra. You will see him after you have all your missions complete." he says. He gestures to a chair in front of the desk. "Please sit."

She slouches down in the chair and glares at him as fiercely as she could manage. "What do you want me and Nick for?"

"It isn't you I am after anymore. My revenge on what your brother did has passed. The two of you are only tools to me now. You run my errands while Nick is your incentive. Then once everything is done, the two of you are free to go. No strings attached. You'll be able to simply put the past behind you just as I will." He says.

"Then what is it you want done?" she asks trying to hide her nervous shake.

A devilish grin curls the corners of his mouth, "I want to bring Shinra to its knees."

Her heart sinks. For one person that would be impossible. Perhaps he sees more potential in her than what is really there. "I'll do it." she says, the word tasting like poison as they left her lips.

"Perfect..."

* * *

Tseng rubs his temples as he leans over the desk. He looks back up at the redhead sitting across from him. A generally pissed off look on his face. He didn't see it coming. There was no record of this sort of behavior. No one would be stupid enough to mess with a Turk. With this sort of information gone, things could start turning ugly.

"Why the hell would anyone do that?" Reno muses in frustration. "Shits and giggles?!" Rude glares at him. "I knew something was up when she grabbed my ass. That was quite a change of behavior than it was earlier. And I thought that she just wanted to-"

"Reno will you shut up!" Elena snaps at him. "Tseng can't you track his phone?"

"We are trying to. Something is wrong with the system." he says.

"Only Reno would be stupid enough to fall for that." Elena mumbles.

"Listen Blondy! Shut the fuck up!" Reno shouts, still slightly drunk.

"We found it!" Tseng says at last perking up with the slightest bit of hope. "Do you recall yesterdays mission."

"Duh," Reno mumbles.

"It's there. Hurry up and get there before it moves again," Tseng says waving his hands to get them to move faster.

Reno laughs to himself once he got into the car. "What is it?" Rude asks.

Reno takes out a napkin from his pocket, "Still have that brunet's number," he laughs throwing it behind him into the back seat.

* * *

Reno kicks the door open with pleasure and they storm into the building. With out sharing any words, they already know what to do. Reno creeps up the stairs towards the eery glow holding his gun to his side. He approaches the door, looking down at the escaping light that clawed its way under the door. His eyes were suddenly fixed on his sights as he kicks in the door knocking it off its hinges. It clashes with the floor, causing Rude to jump on the floor below him.

He stalks in finding the once damaged room returned to what you could call its 'former glory', and empty of people. He walks over to the desk and peers down at his phone whose screen was lit and a caller on the other end. He picks it up, "Yo," he says casually.

"I must give Shinra credit for such advanced technology. Took me longer than expected to gain the information I needed." a man's voice says.

"We don't mess around with that kind of stuff." he says. "Now who are you and what do you want?"

The man chuckles at the other end. "I just want a front seat to the falling of Shinra. In fact I am about to catch a show now. Your presence is not needed here." he says.

Reno's eyes widen. He stuffs his phone into his pocket and runs back down the stairs. "Rude we gotta get the fuck out of here now!" he yells.

As his partner approaches the first set of bombs goes off up stairs. The ceiling collapses creating a flaming barrier in front of the door. They turn around and start towards the window. Another bomb ignites, taking out a portion of the first floor. Flaming pieces of debris hits the two as they get closer to the window. A third bomb goes off behind them, a wave of heated air burns their skin. They climb out of the window and manage to get far enough before the fourth and final bomb goes off, turning the building into a pile of burning rubble.

Rude sits up and stares at the remains of the building. Reno was laying face down in the snow, the force of the last explosion knocking them over. He lies there for a moment catching his breath. The snow was cooling on his burning face, but pinched like needles. He rolls over on to his back then sits up to watch the building dance with flames.

His phone started to ring. He answers it expecting Tseng. "Yeah,"

"Nice work. I am impressed." the same voice from earlier surprises him.

"Listen up! When I find you, I'm going to make your life a living hell!" he screams into his phone.

He is answered by laughing. "That shouldn't be too hard. I am planing to have dinner tomorrow night with some friends. I would enjoy it if you and your friend would join us."

"It would be your last meal!"

"I wouldn't be so fast to make those sort of threats. In exactly ten minutes you'll be sent a message telling the exact time and location of where to be at. Failure to meet me here with result in deadly consequences." he says.

"What kind of deadly consequences?" Reno asks.

"Can you see your car from there?" he asks. Reno looks over at Rude car parked in front of the smoldering building. "Observe," After that the car explodes leaving nothing but what looks like a flaming skeleton, picked clean of meat. "If I find your are followed or accompanied by any others, a bomb will go off. You don't know where and you don't know when, but I will. I will be watching your every movement. Think wisely." he hangs up.

Rude looks at him as he puts his phone back in his pocket and stands up. "That was my car." he states.

"Yeah I know." Reno says.

"Then I guess we're walking," he says standing up and following the redhead down the road.


	4. Chapter 4

She folds her hands neatly over the table, tempted to pick at the jewelry piercing her skin. A drop of scarlet blood falls to the white table-cloth. The man she has refered to as Unkown seemed to be paying little attention to her. Instead his eyes were fixed at the door way to the empty building. The entrance surrounded by candles that lead sort of like a path to the table they sit at. A crystal chandelier seems to be floating above the table, the ceiling not visible due to the dim lighted candles.

She picks up one of the silk napkins and whips the blood away from the sharp bracelet on her wrist. "Not trying anything are you," he asks not even looking at her.

"N-no sir," she stutters placing the napkin over the spot of blood.

"Good girl," he says without moving his gaze. He checks his watch, it was almost time. He takes a drink of the champagne then looks at her. "You know your roll, correct?" She nods hesitantly. He reaches out and rubs the top of her hand with his thumb. "Nickolas will soon be with you."

"Thank you sir," she says staring down at the table cloth, not wanting to meet his deadly blue eyes.

His hand retreats and he checks his watch again. The two Turks stroll into the building right on time. Her heart sinks at the sight of the redhead. He eyes the flames as he walks forward. He looked calm and relaxed, while Rude seemed more tense. Him and Rude take their seats in the two empty chairs across from them.

Reno eyes her from across the table, calm but still intense with hatred. Her hair was tied up in a loose but elegant bun that Unknown had made her wear for the occasion. A black dress left her arms and legs bare and riddled with goosebumps due to the chili in the building. She was decorated in jewelry that felt like it weighed her down. He probably thinks she's a snob. That she wants to be here and do something like this. But now it wasn't only Nick's life she had to worry about anymore. It was her own.

"Very nice of you to join us." Unknown says pouring two more glasses of champagne for the guests.

"Not like we had much of a choice." Reno says. "You're not planing to blow us up again are you?"

"To put your worries to rest, I will admit I am not. You can relax. I just thought that we could discuss somethings while we are all together." he says. Cassandra reaches out for her drink. His eyes follow her wrist fiercely and she pulls back, afraid of what he might do.

"Like what?" Rude's voice breaks through the silent moment.

"Like Shinra," he says.

Cassandra sits perfectly still as he instructs the Turks of his plans. "I know your every movement. And believe me when I say I am one step ahead of you every time," he says pulling his sleeve up to revel the flashing wristband he wore. "If my pulse were to increase to a certain point or stop all together than the bomb will go off either in its intended destination, or here taking the lives of all of us. So I suggest that any weapons you may have, be surrendered." The two men empty their pockets and belts of weapons and lay them on the floor.

"Now what is it you want with Shinra?" Rude asks.

"I want Shinra gone from this world. I want to rid the world of its evil. I know I am not the only one who feels this way either. And once my plan begins to unfold, others will join. If you cooperate, I will ensure your immunity." he says.

Reno glances back to Cassandra for a moment. Their eyes lock for a moment before she glances down at her wrist as a drop of blood surfaces from under her jeweled bracelet. Reno's eyes narrow at it and find it wasn't just jewels. The bracelet was barbed on the other side and sank deep into her wrist. Her necklace shared the same effect. He pieces it together and looks at her with no longer hate, but sympathy.

"No," Rude states as response to the unknown mans offer.

He sighs and taps his fingers to his wristband. "Times almost up," he says. "It would be a shame to miss the show. I think it is about time we left." he stands up and gestures for Cassandra to follow.

She glances back to see Reno touch a finger to his lips, telling her to stay calm. When she turned her back again Reno had his arms wrapped around her. He leans in for a moment to her ear, "Make it look like your trying to get away." he says pulling her backwards. She does as she's told and struggles to break free from him. The man turns around and points a gun at Reno. He holds her in front of him. "I wouldn't want to miss the show either," Reno says holding her by the back of the neck.

The unknown man grits his teeth and for a moment, she thought he was going to fire. But he holds the gun into the air and takes the bullet out of the chamber. "Where is the bomb?" Rude demands.

He checks his watch again, "Your already too late." he says. He presses a button on his watch and suddenly the candles go out.

The first explosion made her ears ring uncontrollably. The sound dug into her mind making her want to grip her head and scream. Everything seemed to blur. The red and orange flames flowing into the darkness like spilt paint on a dark canvas. The second made her head sway in the arms of the Turk as he drug her towards the door. Then the third was too much for her head to handle. She screams at the pain that crashed into her ears.

Reno drug her out into the snow then picked her up. He stops before they got to the car. "Rude don't!" he says. Rude stops before he reached the door. "Get the hell away from there!" he shouts. He picks up a rock and throws it at the car. Only three seconds of silence after it hit the windshield before the car blew to bits.

He turns around and covers her face trying to keep her safe. Her hair came undone sending strands of black and purple hair in her face. She could see the building, a hollow shell of what used to be. Only a few seconds later it collapsed into nothing. She could feel the heat burning her skin. Reno holds her close as he walks a short distance away from the damage. He sits down on a curb with her in his lap. She clung onto him, pressing against his chest for warmth.

"Are you alright?" he asks lifting her chin to meet her eyes. She nods more tears flowing down her cheeks. "We are going to take care of you."

"You can't," she sobs. "He won't stop. He knows everything and he'll kill anyone that gets in his way. He has my brother and I must obey him."

"We'll stop this. And we'll get your brother back." Reno says holding up her wrist and looking at the bracelet. He tries taking it off, but as soon as one of the barbs left her skin, blood began to spill out. He leaves the rest of the barbs in. "We're going to take you back to Shinra and we'll take care of you. I promise."

"I'm so sorry Reno... He made me... I had too." she continues to sob.

He lifts her up and begins to walk down the road. "I'll call Tseng and get him to pick us up." Rude says taking out his phone.

Only a few minutes later a large car pulls up to them. Reno sets her in the back seat and climbs in next to her. She leans her head against his shoulder as he rubs the top of her hand soothingly. Her tears continue to flow."Everything will be okay," he says sounding a little unsure.

"Thank you," she whispers drifting off to sleep.


End file.
